thelandfandomcom-20200213-history
Education
Ever since the second generation of people on The Land, elders have taught their children various things about the world, including how to perform various tasks necessary for survival, comfort, or entertainment. In fact, such lessons might be taught by peers rather than elders, and in fact those who are younger might learn new skills on their own, which they could then teach to people even who are older than they. For most of the first century of the Land's existence, tasks tended to be fairly basic, and generally were shared evenly by everyone. However, as the population increased, tasks gradually became more specialized, until various specific jobs were developed. It's unclear exactly when individuals first started assuming specific jobs for themselves, though it's estimated to be late in the first century or early in the second. It is presumably also around that time that the positions of "master" and "apprentice" were first established (such terms may have come into use shortly after the introduction of money in 107). For most of the Land's existence since that time, the learning of trades has gone on in the same way, until the establishment of the school system in 904. Apprentice (Also called "student.") This, of course, is not actually a job, though it is included in this list as a position within the educational system. It simply means, one who studies a specific trade under a master of that trade. The position of apprentice has existed, as mentioned earlier, since around the end of the first century, though of course children have been taught various things ever since the time of Connor and Brigid. In fact, though the word wasn't used at the time, Connor and Brigid themselves might be considered apprentices of God, who taught them much about how to survive and how to entertain themselves, as well as giving them knowledge of other worlds. In any event, since the establishment of the school system, it has become far more common for children to attend centralized schools rather than learning from independent masters. It should be noted that on Earth, there was historically a position for those who have learned a trade but not become a master, called "journeyman." There is no such title on the Land; graduates are simply known by the title of their job, without a specific indication of skill level. The one exception to this rule is for Sorreters; once they graduate, they are known as "adepts." (The majority of magic users remain at this level their whole lives, though some may eventually reach the level of "master-adept.") Headmaster This is a position which has only existed since the creation of the school system. It refers to the person who is in charge of the entire school, to whom all the masters of specific subjects report. Master (Also called "teacher," though that term is more aptly applied to people who are not truly masters, whether because their own skill level doesn't warrant the title or simply because they don't teach professionally.) As mentioned earlier, since around the end of the first century, people began learning specific trades. While many people would simply ply these trades as their occupation, others would go on to teach these trades to those seeking to learn skills necessary for whatever job was of interest to them. For most of the history of the Land, masters were independent, and might have been classified as businesspeople. However, the most basic elements of education (such as reading, writing, and simple arithmetic) were generally taught by a child's own parents. Since most people couldn't afford to hire a master for their children, it was most common for people to also be taught job skills by their parents or someone else within their clan, or by friends of the family, so that there was little variation in occupation from generation to generation. (While such teachers might have been called "masters" by their apprentices, it was generally assumed that they wouldn't charge any money for passing on their skills, and therefore could not officially be considered masters.) It was mostly the wealthier clans who employed masters, and therefore usually only the children of such families had their choice of occupations. However, when the school system was introduced, it became free for all children to attend public schools, where they could acquire knowledge on a variety of "basic" subjects (which often went beyond the basic knowledge taught by parents in earlier generations). They could also begin to get a fundamental idea of the variety of careers available, and have a greater basis for deciding what trades they might like to learn. Some trades might even be taught in primary schools, though others would require furthering their education at universities after graduating primary school. While the majority of masters who formerly worked for themselves obtained jobs within either primary schools or universities, there were those who chose to retain their independent status. Some of these may enjoy a certain degree of success, while others have found no one willing to employ them privately, and have therefore become street rats. However, there is a masters' union which works to protect the rights of masters whether employed by schools or working independently. Philosopher See theorist. See also *List of jobs *School system Category:Culture